Demetra Kalams was born in Chicago, Illinois, where she attended High School and College, earning a Masters degree in counseling. As a young adult she lived in northern Wisconsin, where she began sketching and photographing local structures and landscapes. She paints exclusively in watercolors and has resided in western Oregon since 1989. Many of her paintings reflect Oregon themes and people.
Kalams' impressionistic style has been described as featuring "rich, bleeding colors and unpainted surfaces to create a lasting sense of place, moods, and being." Her recent work has focused on the human figure, with particular attention to eyes, facial expressions, and form.
She is currently affiliated with Maude Kerns Art Center and the New Zone Gallery in Eugene, Oregon.